THE BEER NUT: Wachusett Purple raising money for Rett syndrome

Norman Miller Daily News Staff @Norman_MillerMW

Wednesday

Oct 10, 2018 at 10:45 AMOct 11, 2018 at 12:14 PM

Wachusett Brewing Company of Westminster is once again brewing its original IPA, and it's for a good cause. Author John Holl is coming to Concord and Hop Culture is hosting a festival with some rarely seen breweries.

Wachusett Brewing Company is bringing back a New England classic for a good cause.

The Westminster brewery is bringing back its original IPA (colloquially known as Purple) to raise money for National Rett Syndrome Awareness Month.

All proceeds of the sales of the IPA, now dubbed Pretty in Purple, will be donated to rettsyndrome.org.

Rett syndrome is a rare non-inherited postnatal neurological disorder that develops almost exclusively in girls. It leads to severe impairments, affecting almost every area of a child's life, including her ability to speak, walk, eat and even breathe easily, according to the organization's website.

“Purple is one of the beers we still get asked the most about” said Ned LaFortune, founder and CEO of Wachusett Brewing Company. “We made our first batch of it on my family’s farm right here in Westminster and it remains one of my personal favorites to this day. To bring it back 23 years after we first made it and now have it help contribute a positive impact for the Rett syndrome community is amazing to me.”

“Pretty in Purple is available for the rest of the month at Wachusett Brewery’s taproom and retail store at 175 State Road East, Westminster.

“We could not be more excited about this partnership” said Rettsyndrome.org's executive director, Melissa Kennedy. “A girl is born with Rett syndrome every two hours. The funds raised by Wachusett will help us with our goal to fund research to help find a cure and provide support to families who are impacted by this devastating disorder.”

Beer and books

The Concord Festival of Authors and the Concord Museum will host “Autumn Night at Wright Tavern with John Holl" on Oct. 24 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.,

Holl, a beer writer and author, will talk about his book “Drink Beer, Think Beer: Getting to the Bottom of Every Pint.” It's a guide to help beer drinkers think critically about the beverage in their glass and the world of beer as a whole.

Along with Holl talking about beer, Down the Road Beer Company of Everett and Saltbox Kitchen of Concord put together a beer tasting.

Tickets to the event, to be held at Wright Tavern, 2 Lexington Road, Concord, are $5 for museum members and $12 for nonmembers. Visit https://bit.ly/2IKPNnd

The event will feature beer, food, live music and Halloween-themed swag and glassware.

Sounds like fun, but even more impressive is the brewery list. Breweries we don't usually see in Massachusetts, either at festivals or in stores, will be on hand.

Breweries signed up to attend include Aslin Beer Company of Herndon, Virginia; Barrel-Culture Brewing and Blending of Durham, North Carolina, and DSSOLVR of Asheville, North Carolina, Hoof Hearted Brewing of Marengo, Ohio, Horus Aged Ales of Oceanside, California, New Park Brewing of West Hartford, Connecticut, and Twin Elephant Brewing of Chatham, New Jersey.

Some local favorites will also be pouring at the fest, including Lamplighter Brewing Company of Cambridge, Mystic Brewery of Chelsea, Night Shift Brewing Company of Everett and Widowmaker Brewing Company of Braintree.

Tickets are $20 for designated drivers, $60 for general admission and $85 for VIP tickets. VIP ticket holders can get in a half-hour early and will receive a gift bag of festival swag. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hop-culture-presents-spooky-brews-boston-tickets-47996886981.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For beer news and info, follow Norman Miller on Twitter and Instagram @RealBeerNut or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.